Today passed off as MakaraShankranthi – The onset of another year, with promises of a bright future, wonderful experiences, oodles of happiness and all that supposedly nice stuff that makes our lives worth living.

On this quest to all things positive, “happiness” somehow takes the center stage for all those sad people wanting to find a goal post to their lives. Sadly for them, somebody out there keeps moving this goal post every time they think they are somewhere there. Ew…missed it again! Okay, now go chase – Faster! Quicker! Better! More action, more effort, more…more…more…whatever – Somebody is whipping you to be happy? Sounds crazy.

Isn’t this thing called “happiness” overrated – Just like her companion – “Passion?”

At best both are just fleeting moments of a few endorphins clouding your brain, just like other emotions…they are just fleeting moments.

Take a look at all those selfies, and you’ll know that its easier to look happy, because its only for a few seconds. After that one shot of “happy” frame, we all go back to being normal (read that as minus the smile). Happiness is never eternal. So what’s the big deal about “happiness” or “passion?”

And then there is this expression called “laughter” – supposedly an iconic representation of happiness. Just to look at someone laughing gets you into that frame; its so contagious. It conjures up memories of once-upon-a-time-endorphins and triggers the left-over endorphins. We all live for it.

We even pray for happiness – so we have the Nartana Vinayaka, the joyously dancing Ganapathiwho blesses us with all round wealth and happiness; then there is Laughing Buddha who is positioned to smile at your entrance, inviting prosperity and hence happiness.

All these Gods or spirits remind us that we should be happy and it is our right to be happy, even if its just for a few fleeting moments. But why the Buddha – He is supposed to have attained Nirvana, a state of being above all emotions (which includes happiness). I never figured out the answer to this until I read this article on Positive Psychology.

Phew…Positive Psychology? I am convinced. Happiness is overrated. No doubt. Its so fleeting – You can’t wallow in it!

On the other hand, look at the luxury of it – We can wallow in self-pity, sadness, depression, jealousy, revenge…and all things negative to our soul. We have a choice to stay there, and we can feel miserable, as much as we want. Nobody’s likely to pull us out of it….its all ours!

But happiness is just a fleeting moment. So, it really stands no chance against all those miserable feelings and emotions of the soul.

Then suddenly I realized, in a fleeting moment, that “happiness” IS when you discover the purity of your wanting to live your life – with smiles, laughter and guffaws; to forget the world around you and share your creepy feeling of wanting to stomp your foot or throw up and clap your hands for some stupid joke with your best friend; to move into another body and experience their stupidity for a moment and to be able to laugh at that experience, to remember that for a life time; to keep recollecting those places, situations, people and emotion over and over again every time you want to live it up…its so ethereal, so surreal!

Yeah…C’mon its jumping in and out of our bodies, exchanging souls, falling apart in splits and letting your spleen cry for mercy, to let your eyes well up and twinkle in joy – all of these, just for a few moments, over laughter – And you can relive it anytime you want. Pause, rewind, play! Pause, rewind, play! That’s happiness.

I got it! No, happiness not really over-rated. Its great to be there. It cannot happen WITH everyone. It cannot happen TO everyone. Its special, yes!